Topic: patents

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent for a laptop with a unique display unit that not only serves as a solar power supply, but also an external screen and secondary means of touch input.

An Apple patent application describing a method of mounting sapphire to an electronic device was discovered on Thursday, with example implementations possibly revealing how the company plans to employ the exotic material in future products.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday issued Apple a patent for a touch pad that removes the traditional "clickable" integrated button, replacing it with four or more force sensors and an actuator to provide tactile feedback.

Apple on Tuesday was awarded a patent for a system that analyzes on-board, broadcast or streamed audio and visual media content to create a custom tailored playlist that can switch between sources to deliver an optimal user experience.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published an Apple invention that replaces frames dropped during a low-bandwidth FaceTime call with pre-recorded or doctored images, thereby creating the illusion of a seamless feed.

Apple on Tuesday was awarded an interesting patent describing a graphical user interface that offers a solution to inadvertent input errors users may see when interacting with a touchscreen while moving.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent for a software-driven method of processing and editing 3D video, hinting that the feature may show up in a future version of Final Cut Pro.

As a proxy war rages over Android in courtrooms around the world, Apple and Google are racing to stockpile key intellectual property in a bid to stave off a legal extinction event, with Google in particular seeing its patent filings surge last year.

Apple was awarded a patent this week for a concept that could allow users to crowd-source street-level, three-dimensional mapping data by simply taking pictures on their iPhones and sharing them with the world.

Starting with iOS 7, Apple began automatically sorting users' iPhone photos based on time taken and location. But a new patent application reveals the company is interested in taking it one step further, and allowing Siri to sort through iOS photos based on voice search and tagging.

Apple on Tuesday was granted two iOS device-targeted patents, one for a "touch and hover" display panel that is made more accurate by compensating for signal drift, and another for heart rate monitor that can be seamlessly integrated into a handset.

The Apple-backed Rockstar Consortium, a group of high-power tech giants that purchased $4.5 billion worth of Nortel patents in 2011, is reportedly in discussions to unload a portion of the properties as it can't find licensees for the IP.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published an Apple patent application that takes the company's existing mapping apps and extends them to new levels of interactivity with data-rich layered viewing modes.

An Apple patent application published on Thursday reveals the company is actively researching advanced quantum dot-enhanced displays, a next-generation technology that has the potential to reproduce highly accurate and vivid colors.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday awarded Apple a patent for a completely wireless portable computer that uses a projection system, rather than a conventional LCD display, as its primary mode of visual output.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published an Apple patent filing for an anti-spoofing method in which camera output, as well as data from other on-board sensors, are used to change a browser's GUI in real-time.

Michelle Lee, who until July was running Google the firm's patent strategy, has been named the deputy director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, and will run the agency until a new director is appointed.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday awarded Apple a patent that describes a method for efficiently manufacturing curved touch surfaces, suggesting the company may be experimenting with curved iOS device displays.